rootmon writes: "Could the "Like" or "+" button replace the toll free numbers that everyone calls in to vote for on American Idol and other talent shows? Since it requires a person to be logged in, there isn't the same level of anonymity — you can ensure each identify can only vote one — so it's harder to "stuff the ballot box". It might also lead to further discussion in social circles via comments and shares. Do you/.'s out there think this is more or less democratic and fair or judging talent? Is thsi the end::gasp:: for Simon? Will this lead more to fads and trends (a la memes) or will this lead to indie bands that the people really enjoy becoming more popular than the toy boy manufactured bands and repackaged beats that the RIAA has tried to force feed each new generation? Please share your thoughts my friends. Disclaimer: I included a link to my friend Sonny who is participating in such an experiment? I'll send a Free Cowboy Neal fanboy t-short to the guy who most accurately guesses (in the comments below) the final number of votes Sonny gets from all social media in the next 4 days, or if you're a local member of the/. meetup I'll buy ya a beer next meetup."Link to Original Source

Run your own server. XBMC runs on quite a few platforms. Apple TV 2 comes in at 99, and can now do surround sound and HD video. Also, you can create multiple profiles on each device and password protect them. Have the setup default to the kids menu with only tv shows and movies. Then, if the password is entered, it loads all of your collection available. Profiles can be synced between all of your devices over an easy to setup mysql server. This also supports pause and resume from different playback devices.
You can source your own collection, or use software such as Sickbeard and Couchpotato to build up your collection to stop you from having to rip all of your dvds. These programs will also update your library and show as new items in XBMC.
Bottom line is that XBMC is here to stay and has a huge developer backing. Install it or run it as a live distro and see what you think. It has served me well since its first release for the original Xbox.

mpgstuart writes: Most major proprietary software these days has some kind of open source alternative, but it seems like Electronic Meeting Systems are the exception. Collaboration being such a key requirement of the internet age, I am looking for something similar to Group System's ThinkTank (http://www.groupsystems.com/). But only four other systems are mentioned in the Wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_meeting_system#Web_applications), and are all proprietary. Any suggestions out there? Here is the Wikipedia definition of an EMS: "An electronic meeting system (EMS) is a type of computer software that facilitates creative problem solving and decision-making of groups within or across organizations... Electronic meeting systems form a class of applications for computer supported cooperative work. Mainly through (optional) anonymization and parallelization of input, electronic meeting systems overcome many deleterious and inhibitive features of group work... similar to a web conference, a host invites the participants to an electronic meeting via email."Link to Original Source

An anonymous reader writes: MIT researchers have invented an algorithm which is able to amplify motion in video that is invisible to the naked eye — such as the motion of blood pulsing through a person's face, or the breathing of an infant. The algorithm — which was invented almost by accident — could find applications in safety, medicine, surveillance, and other areas.Link to Original Source

zacharye writes: Toronto-based original device manufacturer Celestica on Monday announced that it will stop producing hardware for struggling mobile device vendor Research In Motion. Celestica stated that it will wind down manufacturing services related to BlackBerry devices over the next three to six months, and it expects restructuring charges to be less than $35 million...Link to Original Source

A hashed password being safe is a bold statement from a company that is suppose to be protecting credit card information. Even worse though, is the plain text credit card numbers that "may" be at risk.

I guess you lack any knowledge regarding how the Government communicates over TCP/IP. Encryption hardware is not shared between sites. Access is takes multiple parties to configure. Everyone knows how TCP/IP is unsecured by itself, which is why we have encryption that sits over the top.

Do you need me to Google encryption for you coward?

Th problem isn't the encryption, it is the implementation of encryption and the control of the keys. Sure end to end TACLANEs are awesome, it is a guaranteed end to end, software independent, solution. Encryption was available and "implemented on the predators, however it was not implemented the proper way leaving the video feed vulnerable to a $15 piece of software that could run on portable monitors. Had that vulnerability in the implementation not been discovered sooner, the control channels could have been interacted with as well.
Shall I google bad implementation of encryption for you, or did you feel like just being a smartass?

I think this has all of the makings of a waste of taxpayers dollars. They "might" be able to integrate all of the controls into one single point of failure. However, most of the sensors are proprietary government COTS solutions that are just slapped inside an airborne platform. The chances of this company being able to write code to work on all of the commercial closed source intelligence sensors are slim to none.

Put the box in an area out of reach, in another room etc, and run the monitor, sound, and web cam cables to the desk. Use a wireless mouse and keyboard that has an off switch. Let the baby chew on the powered off keyboard while skyping.
Now on to solving world peace.